January 4, 2009

An inconvenient truth about the Japanese diet & The decline of traditional farming



Besides providing insight into the effects of modernization and globalization on the Japanese diet and agricultural system, the above video is remarkable in that it is a rare example of an effective and interesting communication from a government body, the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (h/t to The Global Small Business Blog). While Japan has its own unique dietary and agricultural practices, the general trends outlined in this video can be seen from Bordeaux to Baoding.

For more on the decline of traditional agriculture in Japan, see this National Geographic piece: "My neighbor Totoro" ecosystem declining in Japan. The sad thing is that this holistic and balanced approach to agriculture is disappearing at a time when it has never been more relevant.




2 comments:

cw said...

That's one cool video, love the guys fighting over the corn and the dancing cows! Like you noted, it's remarkable that a government body produced this. I wonder when, or if, such a thing will ever happen in China, where it seems even more necessary...

Thoroughly enjoying your blog!

Anonymous said...

I am amazed at how well the government used this medium to convey their message in an interesting way. The clip is over 4 minutes long, but not once do you want to look away from the screen. Thanks for bringing this to my attention.